


The Bat-blanketcape

by snapdragonpop007



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bat Family, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Bruce loves his children okay, Multi, Sleeping in odd places, Trans Male Character, cold batchildren, cuddly batchildren, like a cupboard, looking at you Tim, sleepy batchildren, the bat blanketcape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-01 01:54:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11476140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapdragonpop007/pseuds/snapdragonpop007
Summary: Bruce's cape gets passed around a lot over the years. Whether it gets borrowed, stolen, or straight up taken from his back, it's cycled through his family many times over for many different reasons and uses.More often than not, it gets used as a blanket for cold and tired children, and Bruce really doesn't mind.





	1. Jason

Jason grunted as he fell onto the carpet with a soft thump. He cursed as his hand bumped into a table, sending a vase of flowers crashing to the floor. He dearly hoped no one heard, and he hoisted himself to his feet and shut the window, picking up the vase and cleaning up the water and flowers the best he could in the dark. 

His leg throbbed as he wobbled to the kitchen. He dropped a hand to rub circles into the skin as he dug around for the first aid kit he stashed in the silverware drawer, and when he took his hand away it came back sticky with blood.

“Great.” 

He winced as he jumped up on the counter and turned the faucet on, and after cutting away the fabric around the stab wound Jason stuck his leg under the steaming water. 

He hissed at the contact and bit his lip as he washed it out with dish soap, and when he deemed it clean enough he slapped some antibiotics and a band aid on it. Shockwaves shot up his leg as Jason jumped off the counter, and he hardly make it to the kitchen table before slumping into a chair. 

He brought his hands up to pillow under his head when the lights flared to life.

“Holy shit--” Jason shot up, his leg slamming into the table leg. “Ow--fuck--”

“Jason?” Bruce was tugging his cowl off, and he quickly made his way across the kitchen, his cape dragging across the floor. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah I’m--I was just leaving--” 

Bruce placed a warm hand on his shoulder, gently pushing Jason back down. “Stay.” 

Their eyes met, and Jason was the first to look away. 

“Fine.” 

Bruce nodded, and then stalked over to the cabinets. Jason watched with curious eyes as Bruce pulled out sugar and vanilla and mint, and he perked up when Bruce set down a box of coco powder. Bruce noticed and gave Jason a smile, but Jason looked away before he could return it. 

A few minutes after the stove clicked on a glass of water and a bottle of pills was set in front of Jason and Bruce’s heavy cape was dropped on his shoulders. 

He curled up into it before he could really stop himself, and he breathed in the scent of pine and cinnamon that hadn’t changed a bit since Jason had been a child. He pulled the cape to his nose, taking another breath before popping a few pills in his mouth. He swallowed them with a little difficulty--hands had not been kind to his throat tonight--and then a cup of steaming coco in his favorite mug was being set down in front of him. 

The mug was chipped from when Jason had dropped it, and the lettering was fading to a dull yellow, but Jason could still make out the Shakespeare quote Bruce had put on it. He smiled and brought the mug to his lips, tucking himself further into the cape.

He felt a small pang of nostalgia, when Bruce would make him coco and wrap him in the cape after a particularly rough patrol, or even just a rough day. 

Bruce sat next to him, his own coco in his ‘World’s okayest Dad’ mug clasped in his hands. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Bruce nodded to Jason leg, which was stuck out at an odd angle under the table. 

Jason was silent for a moment. “I was just being stupid. Wasn’t paying attention.” 

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“You were wearing your binder.” 

Jason looked away. “...yeah.” 

The plates on his chest armor hadn’t been doing a good job of keeping his chest flat lately, and Jason just didn't care if he couldn’t breathe right or that his chest hurt or that he had to stop at every turn to try and get a proper breath.

Bruce set his mug down and stood. Jason watched as he slowly came up to him, and he lifted his arms without protest as Bruce worked his jacket and shirt and binder off him. He kept his chest covered with the cape, and when Jason could breath right again Bruce was helping him into a sweater of Tim’s that had been left on the table. 

“I can modify your chest plates for you.” Bruce looked up at Jason as he sat back down. “Or I can--I still have the money set aside--”

Jason was supposed to get his top surgery a week after he had died. 

“...I’m not sure I’m ready for that, Bruce.” Jason looked away again, holding his mug to his chest and hunching his shoulders. There was no doubt that Jason wanted that surgery, but after months of things being like this-- “I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to work on the chest plates, though.” 

Bruce smiled, and Jason couldn’t help but smile back. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, making small chit chat here and there as they slowly finished off their coco. All too soon Jason was struggling to keep his eyes open, and Bruce took his mug from him before he dropped it. 

“I won't tell anyone you’re here, if you want to stay the night.” 

“Thanks.” Jason stood on shaky legs, and Bruce had an arm around his shoulders as he lead him to one of the bedrooms on the ground floor. His leg didn’t hurt as much, but he still found it rather difficult to walk on it and he happily collapsed onto the bed, tugging the cape around his arms as his eyes slid shut. 

“Night Jason.” His hair was gently pushed out of his eyes as a soft kiss was planted on his forehead. “I love you.” 

“ ‘M love you too.” 

Jason thought he heard Bruce’s breath hitch, but he was too close to being asleep to really know.


	2. Barbara

“Alf, is it colder down here than usual?”

“I'm afraid so, Miss Gordon.” Alfred was wearing a bright green parka, and he set a cup of coco next to Barbara’s computer. “The heating broke yesterday, and Master Bruce hadn't gotten around to fixing it.” 

Barbara huffed, tugging her blanket tighter around her shoulders. 

“You think it would be a priority, with it being winter and all.” 

“I'm sure he’ll get around to it soon.” Alfred took a seat next to her, taking a slow sip from his tea as he cradled the cup in his hands. “He's been a bit preoccupied with Master Jason's new suit.” 

“Jason?” Barbara took the mug of coco between her hands.

Alfred hummed, but didn't elaborate. 

Barbara huffed again--she could see her breath, curling up and around the mug and fogging her glasses--making a note to bug Bruce about it later. 

Alfred stayed with her until the coco and tea were gone, helping her here and there as she did some hacking for Tim that she had been putting off. She wasn't entirely sure why he needed Swedish government files, but she knew it best not to ask. When she was leaning back in her wheelchair and cracking her knuckles and watching coding scrawl across the screen Alfred scooped up the mugs.

“Will you be alright down here?”

“Yeah,” Barbara waved her hand--she was still a little cold, but she could deal. “You should go make sure Jon and Dami haven’t burned the house down.” 

Damian and Jon have gotten incredibly close these past few weeks, and Barbara would constantly coo at the two whenever she could, despite both boy's protests. It was honestly adorable how attached at the hip they were, and Barbara could always enjoy when the older boys teased Damian about his painfully obvious crush. 

“I think we would notice if the house burned down.”

Barbara snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. Alfred gave her a smile.

“If you need anything--”

“I’ll yell,” Barbara smiled, and Alfred gave her a nod before climbing back up the stairs. 

She watched him go, and then she hunkered down in her blanket as the door closed with a soft click. It was at times like this where she honestly missed her cape. It had done an excellent job of keeping her warm during cold nights and during times when the heating would go out in her and her dad’s apartment. She loved the heavy feel of it, the comfort and warmth it brought, and she had never quite been able to replicate it. Barbara had been tempted more than once to ask Bruce exactly what material he made the capes out of, but she had never brought herself to do it. 

She thought that she might now, though, as a violent shiver went through her. 

Barbara worked in silence for a while--for how long, she wasn’t sure--and she looked up from her coding as the batmobile’s engine roared into the cave. 

“Where’ve you been? Everyone got back a while ago.” 

Bruce looked tired. Really tired. 

“I just had some things to take care of.” 

He ran a hand through his already messy hair, and Barbara was a little concerned with the groan that escaped his lips. It sounded painful. 

“Are you cold?”

Barbara blinked. “No--I’m fine. Bruce, are you okay--?” 

But Bruce was picking the cape off the chair he had dumped it on, dropping it on Barbara’s shoulders. It pooled in her lap, and she couldn’t help but let out a happy sigh as the leftover heat from when Bruce wore it took no time in warming her. Her attention quickly went back to Bruce when he fell into a chair next to her and she spun around, taking her glasses off to get a proper look at him. 

“What happened Bruce?” 

He was silent, and then--

“The girls that have been kidnapped this past month--I--I found them tonight,” he took a deep breath. “Most of them were dead. They were all your age, and I--”

Bruce knew Barbara wasn’t his daughter, knew that Jim was her father, but he couldn’t help but think of her as being his. He loved her like his own, and when he saw those girls--the ones her age with red hair and wide green eyes and pale blood stained skin--he had been surprised when Jim held in his emotions better than he had. 

“Bruce, I’m okay.” Barbara placed her hand on top of his. “I’m right here.” 

Bruce didn’t say anything. He wasn’t entirely sure that he could say anything. 

“Why don’t you stay down here with me for a bit?” Barbara squeezed his hand. “I could use the company.” 

“I need to check on Dami--”

“Oh, they’re fine. Alfred and Dick are with them.” Barbara dropped her head on Bruce’s shoulder, effectively stopping him from moving. “And maybe you’ll fix the heat when you see how cold it is down here.”

“I thought you said you weren't cold.” 

Barbara shrugged her shoulder. “I lied.” 

Bruce gave a small smile, dropping his head on top of hers as she pulled the keyboard into her lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, apparently this is all connected and has a time line now. that wasn't supposed to happen. oops.
> 
> Barbara loves both her dads very much and is always open to comfort cuddles


	3. Damian

Damian huffed as he pulled himself further into the space between the computer and the wall, pulling the space heater with him.

It had been a couple days since the heating went out in the cave, and just this morning they lost heating in the manor.

Bruce had needed to order wiring and a bunch of other parts Damian hadn't cared to name, and they were still waiting on it a few days later. Until they came nothing could be done.

It was a little warmer in the top floor of the manor so that's where Damian had stayed, tucking himself against one of the computer's monitors to leach from the heat it gave off. When that hadn't been enough he kicked a space heater over, and when that didn't work he sprinted down to the cave to snag his cape. 

He tucked his knees under the cape, huffing when it failed to cover his socked feet. Damian wondered if he should call Jon--he was always unnaturally warm, and he knew Jon wouldn't mind letting Damian cling to him to share body heat. 

Damian flushed at the thought and quickly pushed it away. 

He didn’t know if anyone else was home, and he would rather suffer from the cold than suffer from his siblings teasing. 

Damian knew his affection for Jon was painfully obvious, and he was equal parts annoyed and happy with the teasing. He wasn’t as angry as he could have been with the comments everyone made, because all those sly remarks and knowing smiles honestly made him feel like part of the family, like he belonged. 

“Dami?”

Damian jumped, flushing as Bruce gave him a small smile. 

“It’s cold,” Damian grumbled, shifting around to take pressure off his joints as Bruce sat next to him. 

“It’ll get fixed soon, kiddo.” 

Damian huffed. Bruce didn’t offer anything else up for conversation and they sat in silence until Bruce got up and left. 

Damian felt a pang go through his chest. They hadn’t been talking, but he didn’t think that was a reason for his father to leave. Damian bit his lip, squashing down the creeping sadness he was feeling and dropping his head against the wall. His father had other things to do. He didn’t--he probably couldn’t spend that much time with him.

He closed his eyes, letting out a breath as a wave of drowsiness hit him. 

He hadn’t realized how tired he was. 

Damian was startled awake when a heavy fabric fell onto his figure, warmth quickly coming back into his body.

“I’m sorry--I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Damian blinked up at Bruce. 

“...It’s alright.” 

Bruce took a seat next to him again, placing his arm around Damian’s shoulders and gently tugging him out of his corner. He tucked Damian into his side and fussed around with the cape-- _Batman’s_ cape--wrapping it around Damian tight enough that he had trouble moving.

“That better?”

Damian nodded, dropping his head on Bruce’s shoulder. 

It felt nice--warm, caring, loving. Damian liked it. 

“You know that I love you, right?” 

He looked up at Bruce.

Damian knew--at least, he supposed that Bruce loved him. He was his father, fathers were supposed to love their children. 

But it was so much more than that. It was so much more than what his mother ever gave him, and Damian felt it with little things that Bruce would do, that his sibling’s would do, that Alfred would do. They would tease him, fuss over him when he was sick, scoop him up and tackle him to the floor in unexpected hugs, come back when Damian thought that they wouldn't--

“I know.” Damian burrowed deeper into the cape, dropping his head back onto Bruce’s shoulder. “...I love you, too.”

And he did. He really did.

Bruce ran a hand up Damian’s arm, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damian is a tiny child who gets cold very easily and squeezes into the smallest space he can find because 'its warmer here father' 'get out of the cupboard damian' 'yeah, that's my spot' 'tim, no'

**Author's Note:**

> I got Jason done first, so you get Jason first


End file.
